Patagonia & Terra Sol Hostel & Campground

“Sittin’ on a corner in Patagonia Arizona, I’m such a fine sight to see.”
-almost The Eagles, Take it Easy

Part 2

Sunnyside Canyon to Patagonia

We woke to the chill morning and began moving. The trail undulated through forests and dry river washes dense with thin-leafed oaks, knarled pines, and cedars. Eventually, it opened up into dry bush, full of manzanitas, cedars and golden grasses.

With the climb up and over Miller done, the trail was pleasant, with only a few short, steep decents and a small PUDS.

We left camp early and wouldn’t see anyone from the day before for until we stopped to eat breakfast, when the Czechs passed with friendly hellos, and later the speedy woman, who I’ll name Gold Bomb, and the triple crowner who I’ll call Wrong Assent.

We had planned to skip Patagonia, but Toolman, a friend of ours, had hiked the AZT the previous year and, when asked what we should do, he said, “Definitely see Patagonia.” The closer we got the highway, the more we started to get a feeling of FOMO.

Mt. Miller had whipped our asses, so we decided to nero in. Our second night on trail we camped six miles from town, hiked to the highway, then stuck out our thumbs. It took half an hour to get a ride, but all you need is one, and it came.

Hitching into Patagonia while munching on a block of cheese. This is the way.

A kind, gray-haired woman stopped to pick us up. We never got her name, but she told us that she had planned to go on a group nature identification hike that morning, but found out it wasn’t until the next day, so she had some extra time to spare us a ride. 

She took us to the local grocery, Red Mountain Foods, the opposite of Walmart, where a pint of ice cream costs nine dollars and there is a collection of local art near the register.

Not needing much resupply, Ice Cream and I bought snacks and cold drinks and sat down on a bench outside next to someone’s dog, Zoey the tag said, who stressed and whined continously until her owner came back outside. I didn’t mind, since Zoey was friendly otherwise, and one thing I always hope to get from a town visit is the chance to pet a dog.

As I kept looking around the town I couldn’t help but notice that everyone was a little bit gray, and that there was a distinct lack of children, as if something strange had happened here, something that had killed the town and left only those who had moved there decades ago. Perhaps I was seeing a bunch of snowbirds or tourists?

Mary, the owner of the Terra Sol hostel confirmed to me that the average age of a Patagonia citizen is sixty-one years old. Most are retirees who could afford to move there when they did, but with the rising cost of real estate and no new jobs, there is little place for families in Patagonia. Hence, the average age of sixty one in a population of about eight hundred people.

Speaking of Mary at Terra Sol. Mary was a lifetime vagabond, adventurer and van dweller. Most recently, she circuited the West in her van for three and a half years until deciding to settle in Patagonia, where she wanted to build a van-life campground, a place for rubber-tramps to call home for a little while. Perhaps a place like she always wanted to find, or had found, in her travels.

But before she could found Terra Sol she had to be approved by the town council, where she had to present a buisness plan- show what she wanted to do and how she was going to do it. During one of these meetings a fellow citizen suggested she do something for the hikers. She had no idea what they were talking about. And that’s when she learned about the AZT.

Terra Sol still takes in van lifers, RV’ers, bicyclists and bikers, but hikers seem to be the domimant species, at least during the seasons that we are here. 

I asked Mary, what was the most difficult thing she had to deal with, the biggest challenge that the townspeople put forth while she was getting approved to open Terra Sol.

“None,” she said. “They loved the idea. The hikers used to camp in the main park and nobody really liked that.” 

I suppose the hikers might have looked a little homeless-ish for the citizenry of Patagonia, and stuffing us all into a corner on the outskirts of town was best for everyone, including the hikers. 

Terra Sol is a lovely, gritty place. A big yard full of mulch and dotted with a few porta-johns and useful things. Those familiar with Shaw’s or Angel’s Rest (at least as it was as of 2023) would recognize Terra Sol as the same sort of place. Everything a hiker needs. Boxes full of tools you can’t carry. First aid items you’d like to have but don’t bring, etc. There is even a popcorn machine and cold drinks for sale. The prices are perfectly reasonable for everything.

A view of the mulch backyard at Terra Sol

Its got a full kitchen and a fridge where guests can cook whatever they manage to find at the local market or the gas station. The showers were hard to control and slightly uncomfortable but ultimatly warm and effective and, once you factor in that Terra Sol also provides towels and loaner clothes, its practically the Hilton.

Terra Sol’s outdoor kitchen and tool/hiker box area.

There are no bunks that I saw, but they provide large styrofoam-type pads to pitch your tent on in order to make the mulch yard a little more comfortable. There are bikes, too. Guests can take them for the short run to town to either buy supplies or visit the local restaurants.

In the evening Mary lit a campfire and sat down alone in one of the dozen or so chairs that ring the fire pit. I was the first to come to the fire. Mary was an easy talker and knowledgeable about the town. This is when she told me about the average age of the citizens, as well as the story of the nearby mine that was being built.

With the United State’s need to decrease reliance on Chinese minerals, Arizona, already a mining state, is being explored for further production. Even the Taiwan Semi Conductor Company, primary producer of semiconductors across the globe, is planning a joint venture to produce semiconductors in AZ. The mine near Patagonia is run by an Australian company called South32, and will mine for zinc, manganese, lead and silver.

The Patagonians have been engaged in negotiations with the mine over water, since much will be used in the mining process, and it will be within the watershed of the town. The mine has agreed to build a water treatment facility, but currently negotiations are still under way dealing with how often the local water will be tested and who will foot the bill. 

“The real worry is that the mine could mess up our hydrology,” Mary told me. “Its extremely complicated, and no one knows what will happen. There are mountain springs that wildlife depend on that could go dry. Its not just about us, its about the entire area.”

By the time Mary had enlightened me about recent Patagonian affairs the rest of the chairs around the fire were full. Some section hikers, some RV’ers, a handful of students from the University at Flagstaff who were there working on a biodiversity project. The chitter chatter was pleasant; one of the students agreed to buy me a beer once I made it to Flagstaff. There was a micro drama where one of the work-for-stays thought his thousand dollar bike had been stolen in town, only to find out that a hiker had ridden it back to Terra Sol and parked it with the rest of the public bikes. He chided us all with grumpily gesticulions and generalizations, but since none of us around the fire had “stolen” his bike, we just laughed at the show he was putting on. He threw his arms up in the air and went to his van to cool off. He had been a chill guy earlier in the day, and presumably would be chill again on due course. Maybe he’d start locking his bike, too. 

Mary got up, saying, “Last one to bed, please put the cover on the fire pit.” The student who agreed to buy me a beer volunteered to be on fire watch and the night moved on. Ice Cream went to bed and I followed not too long after. 

In the morning we took Terra Sol’s 5$ shuttles back to the trailhead. We felt well rested and content with our decision to visit Patagonia. Should you find yourself on the AZT I would add my recommendation to Toolman’s and suggest a visit. Definitely stay a night or two at Terra Sol, and give Mary my best wishes, and if you take a bike to town, make sure to ride the same bike back.